


Acquitted

by lorenzobane



Category: Shadowhunters
Genre: BAMF Magnus Bane, Cop Alec, Corruption, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Lawyer Magnus, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut Eventually, murder case
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-31
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-28 02:59:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8428801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorenzobane/pseuds/lorenzobane
Summary: Magnus is the best criminal defense lawyer in the city. Alec is a detective with the NYPD. They... Do not get along. Enter: a murder investigation, charges of judicial corruption, indicting a ham sandwich, and a criminal drug lord.Who said the course of true love was smooth?Or, the very loose Good Wife AU that no one asked for.





	1. Pre-Trial Motions

"We find the defendant… Not guilty."

Magnus conceals a sigh of relief. He did not even let his shoulders sag, keeping his posture as stiff and upright as he can. It is his job to seem uniquely self-assured, to make the client believe he knew this would happen the entire time as his client turns to him with a broad, wet smile.

In all honesty, he didn't know. He much prefers when he can have the charges dropped before his client ever makes it to trial, juries are tricky, and his client (though wealthy and well educated) was still a Black man. 

Still, in this case, on this day, justice was carried out. Magnus allows himself a moment to be proud of that. 

"So we did," Magnus says pasting an amused smile on his face, "why don't you go back to your mother. I think she wants a hug." 

He nods his head towards a crying woman in the pews, and the young man runs into her arms. The charges were tenuous at best, and they were attempting to get him to plea to a lower charge so he would serve two years in prison. However, Magnus knew (though he doesn't always) that his client was innocent. It came down to the wire, but luckily at the last minute his in-house investigator Maia Roberts ran in with a crucial bit of evidence. Evidence that was withheld from the court. 

Needless to say, the prosecution fell apart quickly. 

He carefully packed up his Hérmes briefcase and walks towards the door hoping to avoid the detective he had torn apart as a part of his case. However, given the way Detective Lightwood was lingering at the back of the court it didn't seem like he would have much of choice. 

"Detective Lightwood, a delight as always," Magnus said smiling charmingly. 

"Bane." 

"And how is your delightful—" Magnus began before he was cut off with a hard pat on the back, 

"Luke!" Magnus said with a grin.

Though Luke was the police chief, they had long been quick and close friends. Luke respected Magnus's quick thinking and devious mind while Magnus couldn't help but be charmed by Luke's calm, but brilliant companionship. 

"Magnus, it has been too long. Jocelyn has been meaning to invite you over, but with her work being what it is…" 

"Understandable, Luke. I will take you up on that offer soon; my bachelor pad cooking is nothing compared to your effervescent wife." 

"Excuse me, sir?" Alec cut in. 

"Alec, what are you doing here?" 

"I was testifying in the Rutherford case." 

"And?"

"My client was acquitted, and all the charges dropped," Magnus slid in smoothly. 

Luke rolled his eyes. Though they may be friends, Magnus had a reputation for being the best criminal defense attorney in New York. He had that title for a reason, and admittedly he wasn't always defending the most honorable people. 

"You embarrassed me," Alec said looking at Magnus furiously.

"I was doing my job, which is to ensure that you were doing yours." 

"And my sex life is part of my job?" 

Magnus withheld another sigh; he wishes he was back at his beautiful penthouse law firm already. His phone has been vibrating non-stop since he turned it on after the trial and Magnus was willing to bet it was his partner Raphael Santiago. It is a pity, Magnus thought, that Detective Lightwood was so tiresome. He does have a remarkably beautiful face. 

"I am not going to rehash it's relevance to this case. I'm confident the stenographer could read it back to you if you are truly confused." 

With that Magnus raised his chin and walked back towards the entrance, taking a quick moment to click the call button on his phone. 

"Santiago," Magnus said, "what do you need?"

"Oh wonderful, I'm so glad you could deign to respond to the likes of me." 

"I was in court," Magnus said rolling his eyes. 

"You were? Why isn't that on my schedule? God damn it, Simon! Why isn't Magnus's schedule on my calendar?" 

Magnus cut this off before it could go any further. While he does delight in watching Samuel getting his head ripped off by Raphael on occasion, his head already hurts. He had another nightmare last night, the one of his father holding his head below the water, and hadn't been able to get back to sleep. 

"Anyway, I'm out. The Rutherford case was just closed, all charges dropped." 

"Thank fuck. Two more clients dropped and fled to _Fade and Blackthorn_."

"Big accounts?"

"Thankfully, no. And now that you've saved that Rutherford boy from jail time, his mother is infinitely more likely to put her business account with us. Not to remind you of the pressure, but she is one of the most influential Black entrepreneurs in the country."

"You don't need to remind me. Is that the only reason you called?"

"No, I called because Ragnor Fell called. He heard we were trying to buy out his shares as a named partner, and he is marginally less than thrilled." 

"He hasn't come to work in five months! All his clients are ours anyway while he's roaming the streets of Paris in search of inspiration for his ‘great passion."

"You don't need to remind me. Anyway, I was hoping you would talk to him. For some strange reason, you two have always clicked. Personally, I think it is your dedication to being a pain in my side." 

"Oh, Raphael, you know how to charm a boy. I'll be back in the office in half an hour, but I can't meet with him until after three. I'm booked solid with clients, and I need to get a head start on some litigation I'm working on for the Yukimura account." 

"Why did we think that being a full-service law firm was a good idea?"

"It was all the cocaine. Now I'm going to grab some coffee before I head back. Hasta luego." 

He stood on the street, buying a cup of coffee from a vendor when he ran into Tessa Gray, a local judge, and friend. 

"Tessa," Magnus said kissing both of her cheeks, "How have you been?"

She accepted the welcome with a smile when her eyes began twinkling madly with mischief. 

"Wonderful. You will never guess what I saw," Tessa said pulling out a magazine from her briefcase. 

Magnus made a face, there was a picture of him leaning back on a plush chair. The article title read, "30 Most Eligible Bachelors in New York." 

"Have you read the article?" Magnus asked. 

"No, I don't need to read your PlayBoy bio to know that you're an eligible bachelor." 

Magnus scoffed, "I would be an excellent playboy bunny wouldn't I?"

"Can't deny that you would look lovely in tights." 

"And don't you forget it, your honor. Will I see on Tuesday for my stitch-and-bitch?" 

"Of course, darling. Now let me get you a cup of coffee. All the makeup in the world can't hide a poor night of sleep. Anyone pretty warming your bed?" 

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," Magnus said. He threw in a wink to hide how pathetically lonely he had felt when he woke up that morning, still shaking with residual fear from the nightmare and sticky with cold sweat. While he was lost in his thoughts, Tessa purchased another coffee, pitch black (not how he prefers it but he does not feel like complaining). 

"I'll see you then," Tessa said patting his shoulder and walking back into the Court House. 

Almost as soon as he began trying to grow his practice, he realized the importance of befriending judges. Now, once a week for the ladies, he hosts a "stitch-and-bitch" where they can knit and drink and complain to him about men. And another night of the week he hosts basketball games for the fellas, after which they could complain about woman and drink. 

He loves being bisexual. It's been his greatest business asset so far. 

Magnus was smiling into his coffee, taking an uncharacteristic moment to pat himself on the back for such clever maneuvering when he noticed a pair of hazel eyes watching him.

"Detective Lightwood, would you like a cup of coffee?" 

The taller man tilted his head before nodding, his lovely eyes looking deep into Magnus as if they could read his soul. A vindictive part of Magnus couldn't help but think ha, good luck. He allowed his face to smooth over even more, hopefully into something peaceful and friendly.

He got the Detective a cup and was about to leave; he was quickly running out of time, and his next consultation would be in his office soon. 

"Tell me, Mr. Bane," Alec said just as he was about to walk away, "are you this friendly with all the judges?" 

"Is there something wrong with friendship, Mr. Lightwood?"

The detective made a considering noise, "it certainly is interesting…" 

"Are you accusing me of something?" 

"And if I was?" Alec shot back. 

"I would tell you to get a warrant. Until you do, I am busy, and I have to get back to work. Unless, of course, this is all a desperate plea to go on a date with me. In which case, sweetheart, you should know I prefer the direct approach." 

Alec scoffed, "just because I'm gay doesn't mean I will stoop so low as Criminal Defense." 

"Ah, how will I weather your slings and arrows?" Magnus said thoughtfully with a smirk. With that, Magnus began walking awake briskly. 

Their office was on the top three floors of a building only three blocks from the courthouse. A highly strategic decision that they had only been able to afford because Ragnor Fell, at the time, was one of the most prominent lawyers in the city. Everyone thought he was crazy at first, forming a new law firm with two kids who have just begun their law practice. Raphael and Magnus had certainly proven themselves. 

He checked his watch again and cussed. He would almost certainly be a few minutes late, so he called his secretary to let her know to let his client into his office. When he had done that he called a junior partner, Meliorn Seelie, and told him to get out this brief. Magnus smiled to himself; Meliorn would be a great lawyer one day. Passionate and wily as a fox he was confident he would make it to partner in his firm. 

He walked through the double glass doors and nodded to his secretary Maureen. Finally, he was back in his office, his main stage. Lined with a cherry wood bookshelf packed to the brim on one side, and the other was entirely a window which overlooked the city. The remainder of the decor was warm and cozy, meant to make his office feel simultaneously intimidating and comforting. 

"Send in my ten o'clock." 

He pressed down the lines of his suit and sat straight up. He was ready to play ball. 

Alec watched the lawyer prance away from him holding a cup of coffee, and he was filled with rage. Magnus Bane had been a thorn in his side for almost as long as Alec had been a detective for the NYPD. The other man was filled with bravado, and at the time Alec assumed he was all style no substance. He was quickly (and brutally) proved wrong. 

From an entirely unbiased perspective, Alec can recognize that Bane is talented. Exceptional in court, and even better at getting plea bargains. Coupled with the fact that his in-house investigator, Maia Roberts, was preternaturally astute _Bane, Santiago and Fell_ were lucky with their cases. 

He wishes he could call Bane an evil man, but he knows as well as anyone in the force that his law firm did a higher percentage of pro bono cases than any other top tier law firm. While Alec likes to believe that he, and all the police in his force, are beyond reproach, he isn't so arrogant to think they were always right. He would also like to think that racist stereotypes don't easily mislead him, but the fact is a lot of these responses were unconscious. Programmed in after decades of living in a white-dominated society. 

All to say, yes, Alec does see the importance of having highly skilled defense attorneys. 

But does it have to be Magnus Bane? 

Arrogant, cold, nearly always smirking and a loose moral code he represents everything that Alec hates about lawyers. It certainly does not help that Magnus is one of the most attractive men Alec has ever met in his life. Furthering his long-held point that the most attractive men are often the worst people. 

He doesn't help his case when it seems like every judge in the city is eating out of the palm of his hand. Watching him laugh with Tessa Gray, one of the most notoriously unfriendly judges irritated him even more.

He was lost in thought when Captain Garroway walked past him.

"Sir," Alec said nodding once in curt respect. 

Luke's mouth twitched into an amused smirk before flattening out, "Detective." 

"Does it bother you, sir?"

"Does what bother me?" 

"Bane… Doesn't he seem a little too friendly with the judges." 

"What exactly are you trying to say, Detective?" Luke responded sounding sharp. Alec sighed internally, of course, Magnus was also friends with the police chief. 

"Nothing… Nothing, just seems odd that they have such an incredible reputation in court and he is friends with all of them." 

"Friendship is allowed, Detective. Besides, have you ever actually gone to one of Magnus's basketball games?" 

Alec shook his head. 

"Start there; I've gone a couple of times, and I can tell you nobody is talking shop. Mostly there is just the game, and afterward a few beers. But if it'll help you sleep easier at night I can let Magnus know that you want to come." 

Alec thought about it; he likely wouldn't get such a chance again. While these basketball games weren't technically closed doors, Magnus prefers to keep it to lawyers and judges. Apparently, cops make people nervous. 

Alec smirked, he liked that. 

"Yes, please." 

"Good," Luke said smiling, "now lets back to the precinct. I do not even want to think about what your partner got up to while we were both gone." 

Alec chuckled under his breath. His partner, Jace Wayland was a well known wild card with a complete lack of interest in following departmental protocol. Luckily, Alec was the opposite so they managed to keep each other in line. 

The precinct was about a half hour away by train, which meant that he had to spend a half hour with Luke who was at the courthouse testifying for a different case. Not that Alec didn't like Luke, but it always made him nervous to spend so much time in the presence of an authority figure. Alec would be the first to admit his slight hero worship of Garroway, but he refuses to feel bad about it. Luke had one of the best arrest records of any cop before he decided to become brass. 

Besides, Alec could admit this in the privacy of his mind, he always had trouble with attractive men. 

About half way through the ride home Luke's phone vibrated. 

"That's Magnus. He said you're welcome to come, they usually plan in the indoor gymnasium out in Brooklyn on Thursday nights. Want the address?"

Alec nodded, pulling out his phone to write down the address in his notes. 

If Bane was as clean as everyone seemed to think he was then this should be a piece of cake. A quick basketball game and beer doesn't sound so bad either, even if you do consider the company. He was still pondering judicial corruption when he walked into the bullpen. He saw Jace staring intently at a file, his multicolored eyes flipping hastily through the pages. 

"New case?" Alec asked throwing his blazer over the back of his chair. 

"Yeah, the Sarge just gave it to us," Jace replied distractedly. 

"Have you grabbed any food yet?"

"What? No, Alec. Didn't you hear me? New case," Jace replied.

Alec sighed, Jace was almost frighteningly intense and could focus to the point of destruction. It often felt like the only thing that could distract Jace from work was his girlfriend, a district attorney named Clary. 

"Okay, what is it?"

"Do you remember Valentine Morgenstern?" 

Alec gave him a baleful look. Everyone in the city remembered who Valentine was. A rich business man with… eclectic taste, he is perhaps best known for his brief stint as New York City's mayor.

"What about him?" 

"His wife just turned up… Dead." 

"Murder?"

"That's what we're thinking… Unless she somehow managed to behead herself in a tragic accident." 

"Who are his lawyers?"

"Who do you think?"

"God damn it…" Alec sighed. They would need to make sure this case was air tight, no slip ups, no loopholes or he was sure that Bane would find a way to slip through them.

“What do we know?” 

“Husband and wife have a fight, he “leaves to cool down.” When he comes back, she isn’t there anymore, and he assumes that she left in a jealous rage. About a week passes before he calls the police because he thought she was taking out her frustration in the Hampton's.” 

“Buy it?”

“Nah, the guy is a total creep. Besides, apparently, the couple was well known for their passionate fights and constant cheating.”

“Anyone know what the fight was about?”

“No, the alleged fight happened in his penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side. Sound proof walls and flooring that they got put in a few years ago. Apparently, the neighbors were complaining.” 

“Gross,” Alec replied. 

“We’re going to have to be careful on this one,” Jace said uncharacteristically. 

“We should be careful on every case,” Alec pointed out mildly before continuing, “why specifically here?” 

“It’s already turning into a media circus. Garroway wants us to try to stay out of the limelight as much as possible.”

“Hey, good old fashioned police work. That’s what Lightwoods do,” Alec said with a smile. 

Just then Jace’s phone started to vibrate; it was Raj, a younger officer who was already at the crime scene. 

“What is it, Raj?” Jace asked, cutting straight to the point. 

Alec couldn’t hear the reply, but he could hear Jace swear in response. 

“What is it?” 

“Maia… She’s already there. And you know that Alaric is soft on her.” 

“Fuck,” Alec said, “we need to get there. Now.” 

“I know, dude. We’re fucked if she gets first crack at the evidence. It is too bad she works for the enemy, she is scary good at her job.” 

“Compliment her work ethic later; we need to go now. Besides, you know why she works for them. They pay her a cool 200k to do their dirty work.”

Jace sighed and looked down at his fifty cent coffee, “I wish someone paid me that much for doing this shit job.” 

Alec rolled his eyes and grabbed the keys to the car. He knew that Jace was saving up to buy an engagement ring for Clary, which was a surprise to the entire family. For years Jace enjoyed casual relationships, and then he met Clary, and it was like his whole life changed. 

At first, Alec hardly liked her, but she grew on him. Her passion for justice, warm heart, and the iron backbone was hard to hate for long. 

Just as he turned, he found himself face to face with his sister. Isabelle was certainly the most ambitious of the Lightwood children, and Alec was proud of her. He knew for a fact that she would be captain of a precinct one day and she would be a damn good at it. 

“Where are you two off to?” She asked, “Lydia and I have been logging arrest reports for hours because you two boneheads haven’t done it.” 

“We will, Izzy. We’re just in the middle of a case now.” 

“Oh hell no. We are not playing second string female detectives, doing all the tedious paperwork while you two dash off like John McClane.” 

“We can’t both be John McClane,” Jace pointed out reasonably. “He’s a one man army. I am John McClane… Alec can be, I don’t know… Hot girl number five?”

“Look, can we argue about this later? Maia has been in our crime scene, uninterrupted, for at least the last fifteen minutes.” 

Izzy’s eyes widened, finally understanding the reason for their rush. “Fine, we’ll do it. But don’t get used to it.”

“You’re the best, Iz,” Alec said pressing a loving kiss to her temple. 

“You damn well better remember that!”

Alec could barely repress a grin as he strode towards the car. He was going to win this one. 


	2. Initial Questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine is a shady guy. Also more Magnus and Alec flirtation! Yay!

Magnus just barely sat down to begin talking to his ten o’clock appointment when Raphael rushed in. 

“Excuse me,” Magnus said cordially, “I’m with a client.”

Raphael slipped on a professional mask. “I am aware, and I am very sorry Mrs. Cunningham. Could I borrow my partner for just a minute?”

“Just one,” the older woman said with a sly smile, “otherwise I’ll miss him too much.”

“Why Mrs. Cunningham,” Magnus said placing an affected hand on his chest. She was a wealthy widower of a well-respected hedge fund manager in town. They were supposed to be going over her trust and tax shelters, but he supposes that can wait.

As he steps out of his office, Raphael immediately grabs his arm and pulls him into the room across the hall that he occupies. The color scheme was black and white, frightfully simple and elegantly modern- much like his dear friend.

“Well?” Magnus asks leaning casually on Raphael’s glass desk.

“Morgenstern called me about twenty minutes ago. His wife’s body has been found; he’s the prime suspect. He hasn’t been brought in yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“Fuck. We need to send Maia—“

“She’s already on her way. I sent her as soon as I got the call.”

“Good. God damn it, Raphael. I told you he would be trouble, I said we shouldn’t—“

“We keep Camille on the books,” Raphael pointed out. “Besides, he’s one of our largest accounts and our wealthiest client. If you want to keep doing all those fucking bleeding heart cases…”

“The pro-bono cases are non-negotiable,” Magnus cut in.

“Those bleeding heart cases, we need to make sure we can pay the bills, pay our lawyers and keep a roof over our heads!” Raphael continued as if Magnus hadn’t spoken.

“Fine, what do you need me to do?”

“I’ll have Maia report to you with what she finds, and I’ll get the police report to you as soon as I can. Chances are they’re going to bring him in soon.”

“Get him to me, now. I’ll cancel the rest of my clients for the day, but that means you’ll have to deal with the Ragnor problem.”

Raphael sighed, “fine. I swear to God if he invites me to another fucking drum circle in the park again so we can reconnect with our inner selves I am going to punch you.”

Magnus slapped his arm in to chastise him gently, “have some respect. Ragnor is a legal genius. Perhaps we would be better served if we took his advice more often.”

“Go back to your client, Bane.”

Magnus blew a kiss as he walked back into his office. A high-profile murder trial is the last thing he needs right now, especially with the trouble facing the firm. Someone started a rumor a few months ago that they needed to make cutbacks and there was less dedication to personalized care. All of them were vicious lies spread by competitors, but people had begun to flee, and Raphael’s plan to remove Ragnor as a named partner hadn’t helped. Both Magnus and Raphael are still young, and the gravitas from the name "Fell" greatly aided them.

That said, splitting their profits with a man who hasn’t been working for a half a year wasn’t an effective solution either. Still, they needed a third named partner. Otherwise, he and Raphael would go head to head too often without a deciding vote. Every man for himself would undoubtedly lead to the firm’s destruction, and they had responsibilities. Not only to each other but to the fifteen other full partners and ten junior partners they employ.

“Mrs. Cunningham, I apologize.”

“Quite alright, dear. Anything the matter?”

A test if Magnus ever heard one, but Magnus doesn’t fail tests.

“Of course not, Mrs. Cunningham. Our interior decorator called, and matters regarding aesthetics are of the utmost priority.”

“Oh Magnus, if I were but forty years younger… A man with an eye for beauty a rare find.”

“You flatter me. Now, I want to talk about your Will and your Trust. I see here that you’ve named your youngest grand-daughter as the primary trustee of your estate. You are aware that Charlotte is twenty-five, correct?”

“Why, Mr. Bane, you know as well as I do that age is no marker of wisdom. My children are petty and frivolous. Charlotte has a… more real quality about her. I am sure.”

Magnus looked down at the paperwork and sighed internally. Mrs. Cunningham was in her eighties and would certainly be knocking on death’s door sooner rather than later. When she does, there was no way this Will wouldn’t be contested.

“If you insist, Mrs. Cunningham.”

They spoke for another half hour about her properties and suring up leases before the hour was up. Magnus got up and stretched, before walking over to Maia’s “office.” In reality, Maia preferred just to take over an unused conference room and spread files everywhere. Her beautiful, shining curly hair contrasted sharply against the cream colored chairs, and her long legs which were wrapped in knee high leather boots landed casually on the marble table in the center of the room.

“Feet off the table,” Magnus said pushing them gently.

She rolled her eyes and grabbed a file off the desk. How she managed to get the police’s initial findings was beyond Magnus, but she doesn’t tell him how to do his job, so he won’t tell her how to do hers.

“What we’re looking at is this; he had means, motive, and opportunity. What I can do for you is knock out at least two of those for you.”

“Well? Don’t keep me in suspense my dear.”

“The initial reports from the morgue--”

“Just to be clear,” Magnus interrupted, “she still doesn’t have a head, right?”

She gave him a dirty look, “no. They have not yet located the head.”

“Continue.”

“The report from the morgue suggests that she was already dead when the head was removed given the perforations around the neck column. Which likely means that the site of the body isn’t where she was killed.”

“How is that helpful to me?”

Maia rolled her eyes, “do you want my help or not?”

Magnus raised two hands in mock surrender.

“Well they found the body in one of his land development sites, that is a major piece of their case against him so far. However, the body was likely moved there. Also, the actual cause of death seems to be blunt force trauma to the upper spinal column. There is evidence of bruising that can be seen on the upper neck.”

“... Do you think he did it?”

“Oh,” Maia said crossing her legs, “of course. Any rational person would read the evidence that way. But you’re not paying me to prove that he did kill her, you’re paying me to show he didn’t.”

“Brilliant as usual. Now, why does the blunt force trauma help me?”

“Well, here it’s more of the psychological profile. Usually, very wealthy men are not interested in doing their dirty work.”

“Okay, I can use that. Can you get me a list of all the employees he has? Especially ones that do particularly mundane tasks that he could easily do himself. We’re going to need to prove a particular element of laziness,” Magnus said thoughtfully, “now walk me through the evidence at the scene.”

“One set of footprints, roughly the same shoe size as our client. However, when I was looking into it I found something very interesting.”

“Well?”

“The wife had been having an affair with a man named Hodge. We can shift blame,” Maia said.

“Wonderful, half of proving his innocence is going to have to be proving someone else is more likely to be guilty.”

“You got it boss, one scapegoat coming right up.”

“Anything else?”

“Oh, right. I forgot, the cops getting a warrant to bring in Valentine today.”

“Damn it,” Magnus said standing immediately and grabbing his Sportcoat.

“One more thing,” Maia said as she was leaving.

“Yes?”

“Keep him off the stands. He is… Unsympathetic. It’ll turn a jury against him.”

Magnus nodded and pulled out his cellphone. “Maureen, my love. I need you to let Meliorn know that he’s taking the rest of my established clients today. If I have any meetings with new clients or consultations, please make sure that they are scheduled with a full partner. Perhaps Elias would be willing to help me.”

“Of course, Magnus,” Maureen said and then hung up the phone promptly.

He looked down and scowled, does no one in this town have manners anymore? Still, he doesn’t have time to spare. He called Valentine Morgenstern to let him know that he was on his way and that he would be at the other man’s Upper East Side apartment soon.

“You leaving?” Raphael called seeing Magnus make his quick way downstairs.

“Yes, check the email I sent you. The details about the Montoya deposition are inside.”

Raphael nodded, and Magnus zoomed out. Their law firm hires a driver to make sure that their lawyers can work as they get to different locations and this time was no different. However, Magnus has a very different type of work to do.

He looks at time and realizes that there was no way he would finish his work in time to go to dinner with the beautiful, young, Italian supermodel he had with whom he had plans. So with a hearty sigh (she could lift her legs clear past her ears) he got out his phone to make a call.

“Magnus,” a sweet feminine voice with a thick accent answered.

“Carmela, my darling,” Magnus replied.

“I am so looking forward to dinner tonight,” she said, “after last weekend, I am more eager for dessert.”

Magnus chuckled, she certainly did not beat around the bush. While her conversational skills were somewhat lacking, he certainly could not complain about her oral talents.

“I’m afraid I have to cancel, sweetheart. I have work.”

“Oh no,” she said, “I was so _excited_.”

He sighed, what a tragedy to cut short time with a sexy, and slightly insecure young lady. He knows he tends to attract those with “daddy issues,” but he stopped feeling sorry about that years ago.

“I’m sorry, my sweet, I’m working on a critical case. You understand, don’t you?”

“Magnus,” she whined, “even you need to take a short break.”

“Oh Carmela, anything I do to you certainly will not be quick. I am sorry to cancel, though. Good luck at your fashion show in a few days.”

“I’ll miss you,” she said as she hung up.

He knew she wouldn’t, a woman like that will already have another date for tonight. Still, the sentiment is appreciated. He looks up and sees that he is nearly to his final destination.

Usually, he stops to chat with the driver a bit before rushing out but this time he doesn’t have that luxury. He needs to make sure he gets there before the police come with a warrant and Maia just texted him saying that Judge Herondale granted it. He dashed through the beautiful entrance hall to the building and went straight for the elevators with a quick nod to the receptionist. By the time he arrived in front of Morgenstern’s door he was out of breath, so he gave himself a moment to catch it before knocking.

“Mr. Bane,” Valentine greeted.

“Mr. Morgenstern, may I come in?”

“Of course. Can I get you a drink?”

Magnus hesitated for a half second before smirking and nodding, “gin martini.”

“How can I help you, Mr. Bane?”

“Please, call me Magnus. I’m here because momentarily the police are going to come to arrest you. They’ve been granted a warrant. This is important because the moments immediately after an arrest are the most important, so I’m here to walk you through it.”

Valentine looked amused but nodded none the less, so Magnus continued. He kept his voice smooth and detached, he got up and looked around the apartment. It was eerily clean, with plenty of white furniture and red accents. Even the decor looked like a murder scene.

“First, you are going to ask to see the warrant itself. I’ll take a look at it as well. Also, make sure you say nothing, anything could be used against you. Finally, I will not be able to drive in the cop car with you, but I will meet you at the police station. You will not be questioned without me present. During the interrogation, it is critical that you keep your answers short. Do not elaborate, do not say any more than you have to.”

“Do you think I killed my wife, Mr. Bane?” A seeming non-sequitur.

Magnus narrowed his eyes at the man across from him. Another test, the day had been full of them. Sometimes Magnus wonders why he chose a profession that was all trap doors and smoky mirrors. Then again, he’s always been a good escape artist. He thinks for a moment, then hedges his bet on the type of man Mr. Morgenstern is.

“Of course,” Magnus replied evenly.  

“Really?” Valentine chuckled, “you’ll defend a man you think is a murderer?”

“Of course,” equally even.  

Valentine laughed harder at that. “I think I’m going to like you.”

Magnus bites his tongue against the question he wants to ask. _Did you murder your wife?_ That information was irrelevant. Best to focus on the task at hand.

Magnus took the opportunity to take a sip of his martini. He asked for the drink on purpose; it is important that he look in control and nonchalant when the police walk into arrest in a client. Magnus usually sucks on lollipops, but the drink is even better. He has this down to a science; he’ll sip the drink and ask pointed questions to ensure they are doing their job correctly. The younger police officers found him intimidating, and occasionally they slip up.  

Once, a young officer was so flustered by him they forgot to read his client his Miranda rights before the arrest. Magnus was able to get the entire case thrown out, and that client had been guilty, because of one simple mistake. Luke still tells this story to his new recruits to scare them about big bad lawyers.

Magnus smirked into his cup as he hears a knock on the door.

“NYPD, open up!”

It’s show time.

 

 

 

 

 

“NYPD, open up!” Jace yelled through the door.

Alec stood next to him, gun out and pointed down; he was ready to clear the apartment if Valentine had already skipped down.

Apparently, he did not have to worry about that, because barely a moment later the door opened and Valentine Morgenstern was standing directly in front of him wearing a simple linen suit.

“Valentine Morgenstern, you’re under arrest for the murder of Francesca Morgenstern,” Alec said pulling out his handcuffs.

“May I see the arrest warrant?” Valentine asked. Alec hesitated for a second, surprised by the request.

He recovered quickly enough and reached for the warrant he had put in his back pocket, passing it to Morgenstern.

He glanced at it before turning his head deeper into the apartment. Magnus Bane strode out from what appeared to be a bar, looking calm as he daintily stirred his cocktail with his left pinky.

“May I?” Magnus asked, his voice musical and quiet.

Alec refused to be intimidated by the lawyer's presence there. In all honestly he should have expected it, he knew this meant he and Jace would have to be perfect. Any minor slip up and they would lose the entire case.

Magnus studied the warrant for a moment before passing it back to Jace and nodding.

“Hands where I can see them,” Jace said as he turned Morgenstern around stiffly.

Apparently, he was thrown off by Magnus being there as well, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

Here Jace through Magnus a dirty look as he hauled the older man towards the cruiser they parked downstairs.

“I’ll meet you at the station, Detectives!” Magnus called behind them with a laugh in his voice.

They placed Morgenstern in the back of the police car and took him to the station. Alec was tempted to talk to his partner but knew better than to say anything in front of Morgenstern. If he was intelligent enough to hire _Bane, Santiago and Fell_ then he was dangerous enough to be quiet in front of him.

By the time he arrived at the station, Alec was buzzing. The evidence they had collected about the case over the course of the day seemed straight forward. Morgenstern's alibi was flimsy at best, and character witnesses were quick to note he is the type of man they could imagine killing someone. However, the case was far from over. They would need to continue to investigate, to make sure that the case was beyond perfect.

Sure enough, a few moments after sending Morgenstern through processing Magnus Bane walked into the station.

He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing at the courthouse earlier that morning. A dark gray, pinstriped suit with a bright magenta tie. His dark eyes were still rimmed with black kohl and some black glitter. Alec wonders if he’s ever seen a man look more like a predator in his life.

“Detective Lightwood, Detective Wayland,” Magnus said nodding to both Jace and Alec, “where is my client?”

“Being processed,” Jace said.

“Wonderful. I don’t suppose you could get me a cup of coffee?”

“Don’t worry,” a starry-eyed young police officer said already holding a steaming cup of coffee, “I already got you one.”

She was looking at Bane like he was a rock star, dark and sinful. Alec thought it was his eyes, the way they burned with an irrepressible fire. Magnus was not the type of man who contained.

“Why thank you, Officer Gupta,” Magnus said to her with a charming smile.

She blushed and stuttered, before tripping away. Alec remembers when he was like that.

“Are you going to be interrogating my client tonight?”

“Just some initial questioning,” Alec said while crossing his arms defensively.

“What fun,” the other man replied with a wink.

“Mr. Bane, we would ask you to wait in the waiting area until the actual interrogation.”

“I wait with baited breath,” Magnus said turning to sit on the small blue chairs which were placed haphazardly on a linoleum floor. Whenever Magnus came to the precinct, Alec was struck with how little he fit in there, yet how he also managed to make every room his own.

“What’s the play?” Alec said turning to Jace.

“Two options. One, we wait it out. Throw Morgenstern in holding and insist that we’re moving as fast as we possibly can. Eventually, he’ll give up and leave, and as soon as he does we can call him back. Tell him that we are ready to interrogate.”

Alec smirked because he was sure that would get under the other man’s skin, “or?”

“Just do it now before Morgenstern has, even more, time to come up with a way out of this, and it isn’t like Bane is going to be less on top of his game because we yanked his chain a little.”

Alec tilted his head thoughtfully. While the idea of keeping Magnus sitting on those terrible chairs for hours on end was an appealing one, that also meant that Jace and Alec had to stay at the station well past their shift.

“Alternative solution,” Alec offered, “let’s make them wait for a little… Maybe half an hour, forty-five minutes? That way we can go over the case and the evidence, come up with a strategy for when we get in there.”

Jace nodded, “agreed.”

They walked up to their desk together and sat down. Alec grabbed a small bouncy ball that he left on his desk, bouncing it up and down off the floor steadily as he spoke.

“Is there anything back from the lab yet? Has there been any DNA found?”

“Nothing at the crime scene but after we arrested Morgenstern the officers who looked at his apartment found a rope which was covered in her DNA and some blood. It was found in his closet.”

“Damn,” Alec said his hands still dropping and catching the ball methodically.

“And,” Jace said pulling out a file, “she’s gone to the emergency room before, she said he tried to strangle her.”

“The shoe prints found at the scene?”

“Ten and a half- most common size in America. Wearing the “Nike Air Monarch IV” one of the most common pair of sneakers sold.”

“Helpful.”

“Any other leads?” Jace asked.

“Looked into Hodge, I called him earlier. He seemed pretty shocked that the woman was dead, he lives upstate so a decent alibi.”

“Alright,” Jace said, “good cop, bad cop?”

Alec rolled his eyes, “you watch too many police procedurals.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault it’s effective. Besides you’re built for it, tall, dark and broody. You look like a Byronesque hero.”

“I’m trying to interrogate him, Jace,” Alec said while rolling his eyes, “not get him to live in my shady mansion in the moors with me.”

“A _Wuthering Heights_ reference?” Jace said with a small laugh, “who said the police aren’t intellectual?”

Alec lightly hit the back of Jace’s head and placed the small bouncy ball back on his desk, “I’m starving. I’m gonna grab a slice of pizza from the stand. Want one?”

Jace nodded, waving his partner away.

Alec grabbed his jacket; the air was cold, and he had always been sensitive to a chill in the weather. He passed Magnus as he walked out, the other man typing furiously on his phone, while somehow also flipping through pieces of paper that settled on his lap.

Magnus looked up surprised as Alec walked past him.

“Going somewhere, Detective?”

“All the interrogation rooms are occupied, and I’m starving. Going to go grab a slice of pizza.”

Magnus nodded thoughtfully before putting his stuff away and standing.

“I wasn’t trying to invite you,” Alec said dryly.

“Well I am hungry too, it’s been a long day, and I think I deserve a slice of pizza the size of my head,” Magnus said sounding uncharacteristically human for a second. He seemed surprised by his drop in composure as well.

“Well, it’s a free country,” Alec said gesturing for Magnus to go in front of him.

“Oh yes, a free country… With mass incarceration,” Magnus said slyly.

Alec sighed and rolled his eyes, “really? You’re going to play the moral high ground card with me?”

“Who said it’s a card, darling?”

Alec chuckled and said nothing in response as they got to the pizza stand. New York City had the best pizza by far- covered in grease and each slice was huge. He paid for his slice and Jace’s, and on a whim got one for Magnus too.

The look of delighted surprise on his face that escaped his cold mask was worth it. Alec was always surprised when he saw hints of who Magnus was when he wasn’t working. Just slivers of moments when Alec reminds himself that he is probably a human being and not a lizard in a human suit.  

“Thank you, Alexander,” he said with a small, sincere smile.

“Anytime,” Alec said trying not to blush. “I’m- I’m- I- I’m going to go finish this at my desk.”

Magnus was looking up at him with an almost awed look in his dark eyes, but he nodded, “of course, Detective. I’ll see you on the other side of the table.”

Alec walked in holding the two slices of pizza and threw one at Jace who moaned gratefully around the mouthful.

“Ready?” Jace asked with a mouth full of pizza.

Alec nodded, still scarfing down how own slice. He saw Magnus walk back in out of the corner of his eye; he was dabbing the corner of his mouth elegantly as if he was just returning from a fine dining restaurant and not shoving his mouth full of pizza.

He called down to the holding cells to have Valentine Morgenstern brought up for interrogation.

“I’ll let Bane know,” Jace said looking pointedly at the lawyer.

Alec nodded and started walking to the interrogation room. He was already waiting when Valentine was brought in. Morgenstern was wearing that same linen suit because he hadn’t gone to jail yet. The only indication that he was a prisoner were the handcuffs hanging from his wrists like silver bracelets. He looked Alec right in the eye and sat straight back in his chair. The look in his dark, intense eyes almost made Alec uncomfortable.

Jace walked in with Magnus two minutes later, and Alec had to stop himself from sighing with relief forcibly.

“Hello, Mr. Morgenstern,” Jace said with a charming smile.

His blond hair and sunny disposition make it almost impossible to dislike him. They also made it easy to underestimate him; even Alec does from time to time. But Jace is one of the best officers on the force for a reason; he has the mind of a shark who just scented blood.

“Hello, Detectives.”

“Do you know why you’ve been brought in, today?”

“You have some questions about my wife’s… disappearance.”

“Your wife’s murder,” Alec corrected. He was leaning on the wall, slightly in the background.

“Can you tell us about the last time you saw your wife?” Jace said, his kind face pulled into an understanding look.

“We had just had an argument; our relationship is a… Tempestuous one. But we are devoted to each other, classically. I left the apartment to cool down, and she was gone when I returned. After that, I haven’t heard from her until I got,” here Valentine stopped and took a heaving breath as if the pain of the words was too difficult to overcome, “I got that dreadful phone call.”

“How angry were you at your wife?” Jace said, his voice still quiet and conversational.

“You don’t have to answer that, Mr. Morgenstern,” Magnus cut in smoothly.

“You didn’t speak to your wife at all for one week; you weren’t concerned?” Alec asked instead from the corner.

“You don’t have to answer _that_ either, Mr. Morgenstern. Tell me, boys,” Magnus said speaking to both of them but looking at Alec, “are we going to pretend this is my first rodeo? Because let me tell you, I’ve been known for my _riding_ skills.”

He punctuated his sentence with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Alec caught his breath.

Jace raised his hands in mock surrender, “Okay, Mr. Morgenstern, where were you on the night of your wife’s disappearance.”

“After leaving my apartment, I walked a few blocks. There is a small city park there. I went there to recollect my thoughts. I was back in my home about two hours later, but she was already,” Valentine’s voice shook here again, “gone. I spent the rest of the night alone in my apartment.”

“We found a rope in your closet; it had her DNA on it and some blood. Care to explain?” Alec asked.

“Ahh… My wife enjoyed a practice known as breath play.”

“Breathplay?” Jace asked.

“Auto-erotic asphyxiation. My wife enjoyed the feeling of suffocation when she had sex,” he replied with a wry smirk on his lips. It made his eyes look impossibly crueler.

“And where were you during the week that your wife disappeared?”

“I was in the city, of course. My company, Morgenstern International, keeps me quite busy. In all honestly, I just assumed she was in our home at the Hampton’s drinking away my money and--”

“That is enough, Mr. Morgenstern,” Magnus cut in.

“Right,” Valentine said.

“You were in the city the entire time? Didn’t leave for any business trips?”

“No, I am working on the launch of a new operating system, so I need to be in town for the week up to the release. Have to make sure there are no glitches.”

“Interesting,” Alec said, “finally were you at any of your development sites over the past week?”

“Land developments?”

“Yes.”

“Um… I’m sure I was, I tend to have a very hands-on approach to my developments, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. Perhaps call my secretary?”

“We will be sure to do that, Mr. Morgenstern. I think that is enough for tonight like we said this is just an initial questioning.”

Morgenstern nodded, and Alec went to get an officer to take Morgenstern back to his holding cell.

“I’ll see you at his bail hearing,” Magnus said packing up his bags again.

“You definitely will,” Jace snarled.

“And I’ll see you later,” Magnus said moving so that he was standing in Alec’s space, “when we’re getting hot and sweaty together.”

Alec’s mind went blank for a moment; Magnus was standing so close to him. His swaying shoulders making Alec feel like he was moving closer when he wasn’t. “Y-y-yeah. I’m, um… I’m... Looking forward to it,” his cheeks turning a slight pink.

Magnus stepped back with a self-satisfied smirk and walked out of the interrogation room.

“Dude, what the hell was that? Are you flirting with the enemy?”

“What? No,” Alec denied, “I’m just going to one of his basketball games.”

“Watch yourself, Alec,” Jace warned, “Bane isn’t the kind of guy you fuck around with.”

“I can take care of myself,” Alec shot back.

“Bro, I know. But you’re my best friend. Best friends tell their friends not to stick their dick in crazy. Or not get dicked by crazy. Whichever you prefer, no judgment.”

Alec shoved Jace towards the door and rolled his eyes.

He wasn’t flirting with Magnus Bane. He wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank @LadyMatt for being such a phenomenal help to me this chapter/ with the whole thing. You kept me sane and you kept this story from sliding WAY off the rails. 
> 
> Make sure that you comment!


	3. An interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited basketball game!

Magnus left the police station, smirking at Alexander’s blushing face. He loves having the upper hand in a particular power dynamic. Maintaining a higher playing field will be necessary for the case, and having a flustered cop certainly doesn’t hurt his chances.

  
He is so lost in thought that by the time he arrived back at his office he barely had enough time to change and make it to the other side of town for the basketball game. There was a reason he insisted on hosting these things far from their courthouses, and far from where most of them lived. It allowed the judges, and Magnus, to feel comfortable. That doesn’t mean it isn’t very annoying, though. Especially because he still has to remove his makeup and change.

  
He glances down at his painted nails, and he smiles. Early on in his career, he had been forced to sacrifice the things he loved for the sake of getting ahead. He dressed plainly, but elegantly, and never let makeup touch his face. Now, even the most conservative judges like him and respect him. He has a name for himself. He can paint his nails and puts eyeliner on because they already know he can still kick their ass.

  
“One moment, Mr. Bane,” Maureen called as he opened the staircase doors to rush out.

  
“Yes?” Magnus said looking at his watch with mild irritation.

  
“Maia just called me, Dorothea Rollins will be the primary prosecutor and Clarissa Fray will be her second chair.”

  
Magnus nodded. Dorothea, or Dot, was an excellent DA and Clarissa was Luke’s adoptive daughter. He’ll be sure to have one of his junior partners go through their case histories. Every lawyer has tendencies and weaknesses. Even Magnus Bane. It is important to cover for your own and exploit other people’s.

  
He looks back down at his watch and considers driving down, but knows that traffic will be terrible especially if he has to go from Manhattan to Brooklyn. He resigns himself to public transportation and heads for the nearest subway stop and placing his headphones in his ears. He lets Kanye carry him all the way to his stop, before hopping out and walking briskly to the gym.

  
He loves basketball nights. Though it might have started as a political maneuver, he had grown to genuinely like many of them. Would he call them close friends? No. He was barely honest with them and did not trust them. Still, a lack of confidence has never stopped Magnus from befriending people before.

  
“Magnus!” one judge greeted as he walked in, “how have you been?”

   
“Tim,” Magnus greeted back with a smile, “I’ve been great. Exhausted, of course, but what can you do. It’s that time of year.”

 

“What time of year?” Tim said back with a smirk, “murder time?” 

  
Magnus rolled his eyes and laughed. He put down his sports bag and water bottle before going to grab a ball, letting himself dribble a few times before taking a practice shot. He takes pleasure in watching the ball swish through the net.

   
“Not bad, Bane.”

   
Alexander Lightwood. How had he forgotten? He looked positively edible like this. He walked in with a bag slung casually over his shoulder and holding a water bottle. The t-shirt he wore was scandalously tight and clung to his thick arms nicely. The gray shorts also helped, emphasizing his muscular calves and backside.

 

“Alexander,” Magnus said with a smile, “so glad you could make it!”

   
Alec’s lips twitched up slightly.

   
Oh right, Magnus thought to himself, the Lightwood boy was remarkably awkward and taciturn. Still, a sports game filled with old judges did not leave much room for eye candy. So he appreciates Alec for what he is.

   
“Alright, you guys ready to play some ball?” another judge calls, his name is Matt.

   
“Oh definitely, gentlemen,” Magnus said with a smile, “losing team buys the drinks tonight.”

   
There is a general cheer in agreement.

   
“Who is this?” Tim asked.

   
“Alexander Lightwood, one of New York City’s finest boys in blue,” Magnus introduced.

  
Alec shook Tim’s hand.

  
“A cop, huh?” Tim said, “don’t see too many of those at these games.”

  
“Only the highest caliber get the invitation,” Magnus replied with a joking wink.

  
“Are we going to play or are we going to chat?” Matt called.

  
“Here, play on Matt’s team,” Magnus said pushing Alec gently over, “they always lose. Maybe you’ll give them a chance.”

  
Alec, who was still quiet, just nodded.

  
“Who knows, Lightwood? Maybe if you win the game, I’ll let you score on something else.”

  
Magnus turns with a smug smirk, confident that his comment would knock the other man off his pedestal. He smirks more when he hears the confused splutters behind him.

   
He gets in position, only four of the judges were able to make it today. The numbers fluctuate wildly from sometimes just Magnus and one other person, to fourteen people all showing up to play ball.

   
“Three on three?” Magnus called to clarify.

   
There is a general nod of agreement from the other men, and they begin playing. Magnus finds himself with the ball, dribbling furiously as he glanced around for openings. Alexander is the first to get to him, waving his giant arms in front of Magnus to block his vision.

   
Magnus smirked, and turned his back to the other man’s chest, making brief eye contact and winking.

 

“Careful, darling. Anyone might think you want your hands on my balls,” Magnus said.

   
Alec shifted, so he was in front of Magnus again, blocking his access to the right. He was the tallest person playing by far; an advantage Magnus will have to keep in mind. He sees that Tim and Eric were both guarded and he pivots again.

  
“Nah, I just like my defense the way I like my sex. Man- on- Man,” Alec replied with a smirk.

   
Magnus froze for a second, surprised by the usually quiet man’s sudden bout of humor. His moment of hesitation cost him, though; it gave Alec the opening he needed to steal the ball from Magnus and move up the court.

  
Magnus cursed slightly under his breath and moved to cover him, getting as close as he could to the other man as he was allowed to. His breath is somewhat erratic from running to catch up. In the corner of his eye he sees Eric, another judge, moving to block Matt and Tim blocking Anderson. Alec is isolated.

   
“I bet you wish this was shirts vs. skins,” Magnus said once he was in front of Alec again cutting off his movements.

  
He saw Alec involuntarily run his eyes up and down his body. Magnus knew he was an attractive man, he worked out regularly, ate well and took pride in his physical appearance. Still, it is gratifying to see a man like Alec Lightwood lose his cool, even just for a moment.

  
Alec gave Magnus an unimpressed look, “does that line ever work?”

   
“Haven’t tried it. I’m not usually trying to seduce judges,” Magnus said panting and moving to block Alec again as he pivoted.

  
“Usually?”

   
“Well, there was this one time with Judge Judy…”

  
Alec let out a startled laugh, and Magnus took the ball back. He dribbles twice before seeing that Tim was able to get open. Tim took the opportunity of being slightly younger than the judge guarding him to take a shot; it landed through the net with a loud swish.

  
“One-zero, Lightwood.”

  
Alec narrowed his eyes, and Magnus took that moment to appreciate the long, lean line of his neck. The detective was stunning, and the way he was panting in Magnus’s ear filled him with _dirty, dirty_ images. Magnus may not always enjoy the company of the detective, but he always enjoys looking at him. There was something about the way he narrows his eyes, his prissy pursed lips (especially when puckered with disapproval) and firm jawline that makes Magnus just want to _wreck_ him. Several times. For hours. Until his lovely lips were bitten and red, and he was begging for mercy.

  
Magnus shook his head to rid himself of the image of Alec bent over Magnus’s office desk, his lovely hazel eyes blown wide as Magnus fucks him overlooking the city.

  
After that first point, the other man seemed to have become almost possessed with winning. He scored a point in fifteen minutes with his hard play.

  
“One-one, Bane,” Alec said, his hazel eyes twinkling with victory and exertion.

  
“Ah, fear not, darling,” Magnus said airily, “I’ve always been good at staying on top.”

  
Alec rolled his lovely eyes again before passing the ball to Matt, who looked smug to finally not be on the losing team. He didn’t keep the ball long, though. Eric grabbed the ball and passed it back to Tim, which Alec intercepted with his freakishly long arms. Alec’s already tight t-shirt was sticking to his obscene abs even more as his hairline became drenched with sweat.

  
Magnus stood in front of him again, “not bad, Lightwood.”

  
Alec gave him a crooked grin before faking left and going right. Luckily, Magnus was quick and managed to get in his face again. Alec’s eyes were bright with competition, and his face was slightly pink from the aerobics.

  
“You do realize trying to _outsmart_ me probably won’t work, right?” Magnus said.

  
Alec clicked his tongue disapprovingly while he continued to dribble the ball and use his left arm to block Magnus from swiping the ball, “you lawyers… Tell me, do they check to make sure you all have egos the size of Texas before they give you a diploma?”

  
Magnus huffed out a laugh, “that, and they make sure we can fake a polygraph.”

  
Alec rolled his eyes and passed the ball to Anderson, who was open and right next to the net. Magnus didn’t have time to get in front of him before he took the shot.

  
“Two- one, Bane.”

  
“Never underestimate the underdog!” Magnus said with a cheeky smile, “I learned that from _Sandlot_ like a real American.”

  
“Really? Here I thought you exclusively watched the movie _Psycho_ ,” Alec replied dryly, his full pink lips twisting into an amused smirk.

  
Magnus rolled his eyes, “let’s take ten.”

  
“It seems like your team is in quite a bind,” Alec said walking over to the bench to grab a bottle of water.

   
“So it is…. And not even in a fun bondage way,” Magnus said with a salacious wink.

  
Alec rolled his eyes, “you’re like a cheap Christian Grey.”

  
“ _Fifty Shades of Grey_ , Alexander? I’m surprised at you. You didn’t faint from the sexual deviance?”

  
Alec looked down at him with a smirk. This strange confidence struck Magnus, and it seemed the longer the other man spent in his company, the less affected he was by Magnus’s flirtation. What a pity.

  
“Well, Magnus,” Alec said saying his first name for the first time, “you don’t know anything about me. I’ll have you know I found the series… underwhelming.”

  
Magnus couldn’t think of a smart reply. His mind got locked on the idea of the many creative ways a man that attractive could use his handcuffs. So instead, he took a long drink of his water and tried to cool down. Magnus found himself pleasantly surprised by Alexander. At first, he thought the other man was painfully dull and lacked a sense of humor so entirely he wouldn’t recognize a joke if it began doing the conga on his head. In this one particular instance, Magnus does not mind being proven wrong.

  
“You ladies ready to keep playing?” Matt called after taking a swig of water.

   
Magnus rolled his eyes; Judges do have a tendency to be a bit of a macho boy’s club. He was surprised to find, however, that Alec rolled his eyes too. Magnus remembered that Alec had a younger sister, quite a ball buster if he heard correctly.

   
“Only if you guys are ready to lose,” Magnus called back.

   
“Hey, we have this youngster on our side now, don’t get too cocky, Magnus,” Matt interjected.  
Magnus took one more drink of his water bottle before dumping a bit of it over his head and letting it wash down his face to cool him down.

   
When he opened his eyes, Alec was staring at him with wide eyes, his water bottle frozen halfway to his mouth. His eyes were trailing a drop of water that Magnus could feel slipping down the front of his tank top.

  
Magnus looked at Alec and maintained eye contact, “see something you like?”

   
This seemed to shake Alec out of it, and he glared at Magnus. He turned away from him and put his water bottle down.

  
“You’re going down, Bane.”

   
“Usually someone buys me dinner before making those types of requests,” Magnus said idly putting down his bottle too to rejoin the others back on the court.

  
He sees the back of Alec’s neck turn red, and Magnus doesn’t have to wonder what he’s thinking. They return to court, and this time Alec’s team gets to start with the ball because they were the ones who scored last. Magnus took a moment to appreciate Alec. His dark hair now drenched, and his eyes were narrowed to focus on the ball. His entire body seemed to narrow into sharp focus. He was playing to win. If there is a trait that Magnus admires in people, it is intensity.

  
Magnus cleared his head. If Alexander is focusing on winning, he should be focusing too.His teammates formed a zone defense to stop Alec, Anderson or Matt from taking another shot on the net.

  
He saw Alec look around to find his other teammates, so Magnus took advantage of that moment of hesitation. He managed to slide the ball back to his possession and pivot quickly to take a shot at the net.

  
The ball bounced off the backboard, and both Magnus and Alec ran forward to reach it first. They collided moments before reaching the ball, Alec just barely managed to twist his body at the last second to cushion Magnus from the floor. His long, muscular body felt oddly right under Magnus’s manicured hands. He was so close like this; he could count Alec’s eyelashes and freckles if he wanted to. He could feel Alec’s breath, heavier than normal, hitting his cheek. They froze for a moment like that, staring at each other before Tim coughed slightly from the background.

  
“Thanks,” Magnus said gruffly helping Alec up.

  
“It’s cool, instinct… Protect and serve, I guess,” Alec said rubbing the back of his neck while he stood.

  
They reset the game and Magnus had the ball again. They played hard for twenty minutes, neither team able to score again and everyone was drenched in sweat but in good spirits. Finally, just as everyone was beginning to get very exhausted, Alec managed to get the ball for the third time and make a clean shot to the basket.

   
“Nice,” Anderson said patting Alec on the back, “I don’t normally like when cops come, but you’re welcome anytime, son. I almost never get to see Magnus lose at something; it’s refreshing.”

   
“Don’t welcome him back,” Magnus said panting, “I rather enjoyed not paying for my drinks.”

  
“I’m sure you did,” Matt said, “do you want to go to Hunter’s Moon?”

  
“Sure, but I need to shower first,” Tim said fanning himself slightly, “that was intense.”

  
“Yeah, me too,” Magnus said looking down at his sweat slicked body. 

  
“Where is the locker room?” Alec asked, grabbing his gym bag as well.

  
“Follow me, and we can all go together.”

 

 

  
Alec couldn’t help but watch Magnus walk in front of him, heading towards the showers. The other man was seriously good-looking, long sturdy legs coupled with thick, firm biceps were almost enough to be completely distracting. Combined with Magnus’s face, completely bare of makeup (a look that Alec realizes he hasn’t seen in nearly three years), Alec is amazed that he can stand upright.

  
Alec is willing to admit that he had fun today, and maybe he was wrong. These people apparently did not talk about work at all, in fact, all he’s heard from any of these men has been gentle ribbing and laughter. Still, he can’t bring himself to regret coming- especially when he remembers how Magnus looked when he poured water on himself. At that moment, Alec had an almost overwhelming urge to follow those trails with his tongue and map out his firm body.

  
Alec wanted to remain distrustful of the other man, after all, it was only a few days ago in court that Magnus managed to utilize his personal life against him to get his client’s charges dropped. Alec was supposed to be on a stakeout, the day they arrested the Rutherford boy. However, his then boyfriend managed to talk him into playing hooky, and they had sex in the alley across from his stake-out location.

  
He could have sworn no one knew about it, but somehow Maia was able to get his (now ex) boyfriend to testify that Alec had indeed abandoned his post for about an hour on the night of the alleged crime. Hearing his personal life get bared to the world was... Mortifying.

  
“Alright, guys, I’m going to hit the showers,” Magnus said once they walked into the locker room. He was undressing as he walked, pulling the sweat slicked tank top off over his head.

  
Alec felt his throat dry up as his eyes trailed the movement. Suddenly, miles of honey brown skin was glistening in front of him. Magnus was still facing his back to Alec, so he didn’t feel any shame in allowing his eyes to trail over the long line of his powerful back and broad shoulders. His skin was perfect, unmarred by scars or blemishes the way most people’s are and Alec is filled with momentary anger.

  
How dare Magnus Bane look this good?

  
But Alec reminds himself that gorgeous people are usually cruel. They aren’t used to having basic human decency because people always forgive them.

  
Magnus turned around, and now Alec is being blinded by his abdominal muscles. His side obliques formed a perfect V, leading Alec’s eyes helplessly lower. Magnus’s basketball shorts fell dangerously low, giving Alec a good look at his sharp hipbones smooth looking skin.

  
“Can I help you?” Magnus asked, his eyebrows raised and his mouth twisting in amusement.

  
Alec knew he was caught, so he forced his eyes off of Magnus and towards the showers.

  
“So we’ll meet up in half an hour? Is that bar you mentioned close to here?” Alec asked to change the subject.

  
“Yeah, it's down the street. We usually just walk,” Magnus said, graciously allowing Alec to pretend he hadn’t spent the last five minutes staring at his unclothed body.  
Alec nodded and walked away, removing his clothes as he did so. He needed to clear his head, and sooth his aching muscles. Magnus may have lost the game, but he certainly pushed Alec on the court. The lawyer was dangerously light on his feet and effortlessly elegant.

  
Alec shook his head to clean it, thinking about Magnus Bane on the court would force him to turn his shower cold.

  
Still, Alec couldn’t help but spare another moment of thought for the way Magnus’s body felt above his own when they fell. He was surprisingly dense and substantial, despite his fluid grace.

  
_Stop it, Lightwood_ , Alec thought firmly. _Stop it, unless you want to jerk off in a gym bathroom._

  
He showered quickly, trying his best not to think of the other man who is undoubtedly naked, and wet. He finished showering before anyone else, so he went back to the locker to check his cell phone and get dressed. He quickly unlocked it and found that he had one missed call from Jace.

  
Just as he went to call back, Magnus walked out of the shower. His small towel wrapped around his waist and his skin still damp and glowing from the hot shower.

  
“I gotta take a call,” Alec said stiffly, keeping his eyes firmly on the floor in front of Magnus.

  
“Sure,” Magnus replied, “we’ll meet you outside?”

  
Alec nodded and walked out of the locker room to call Jace back.

  
“What’s up?”

  
“Just got a call about the case,” Jace said without a greeting.

  
“Hello to you too, partner of mine,” Alec said.

  
“Hello, Alec,” Jace said, and Alec could practically hear his eye roll, “now do you want to listen to what I got?”

  
“Of course.”

  
“I was doing some recon, and it turns out our boy Valentine has a particular weakness for ladies of the night,” Jace said.

  
“Ladies of the night? Jesus Christ, Jace, when did we enter a Victorian novel? Still- good to know.”

  
“Yeah, possible his wife found out, was furious, and tried to confront him about it. He got pissed, killed her, and then hid the body.”

  
“Sure- but why don’t the elevator security cameras show any of this?”

  
“Might not have taken the elevator. Just checked, the staircase in the building doesn’t have cameras.”

  
“Jace… He lives in the penthouse. You think he lugged her dead body down twenty-five floors without being seen?”

  
“Possible. I’m not saying it’s the _right_ theory. I’m just saying it’s possible.”

  
“Fine,” Alec said rubbing his hand over his face, “keep me posted. I’m still at Bane’s basketball game.”

  
“Anything shady happen?” Jace asked.  
  
“Nah, not so far. We’re going to the bar now, so we’ll see. I doubt they’ll do anything in front of me, though,” Alec admitted.

  
“Hey, dude, relax. You had a feeling about it, so you checked it out if you’re wrong no harm no foul right?”

  
“True. Alright, the other guys are coming out now, I’ll talk to you when I get back to the apartment.”

  
“Sure, do you want Izzy and I to leave some dinner for you?”

  
“That would be awesome, thanks.”

  
“No problem, but you’re springing for coffee tomorrow.”

  
Alec rolled his eyes fondly and smiled, “Fine, you mooch.”

  
Just as Alec hung up the phone, the rest of the men were exiting the gym. They were all dressed in comfortable sweatpants and t-shirts, which looked especially out of character on Magnus.

  
“And who was that?” Magnus asked casually, still shaking his damp hair.

  
“My partner,” Alec said, “wanted to know if he should save me some dinner.”

  
“Ah,” Magnus said, “your partner? Or your _partner_?”

  
Alec blushed at the implication and shook his head, “it was Jace. We’re roommates, and my sister lives with me too.”

  
“Jace…? Is that the blond one?”

  
Alec rolled his eyes, “you know Jace’s name.”

  
“Are you guys going to be doing this all night?” Matt asked bored, “because I want a beer and I want Magnus Bane to buy it for me.”

  
Magnus chuckled good-naturedly and flung his arm over the judge’s shoulder, “worry not. You’re still the most handsome man of the group.”

  
Matt rolled his eyes, “you are the worst. Come on.”

  
They began walking down to Hunter’s Moon, a favorite neighborhood establishment with cheap drinks and cheaper snacks.

  
“Alright, fellas, the first round is on me. After that Matt and Eric are going to have to help me out,” Magnus said.

  
“Oh please,” Eric replied, “we may be the losing team, but your salary is much higher than mine. Such is the pain of public service, isn’t that right, Lightwood?”

  
Alec smiled, “I guess so. But that is the price we pay for being able to sleep at night.”

  
“Damn,” Anderson said, “you just going to take that, Bane?”

  
“Oh, I’m certain Alexander could give me plenty to _take_ ,“ Magnus replied with a smirk. The judges groan at the bad innuendo, but Alec can still feel his face heating up.

  
It was surprising how comfortable it was to banter with Magnus on the court. There was something about the competitive atmosphere and the adrenalin that made it easy. Now, though, without the fluorescent lights of the gym, it feels more real. Like maybe Magnus isn’t just fucking with him.

  
“Weren’t you going to get us drinks?” Alec said instead.

  
Magnus bowed slightly, “your wish is my command.”

  
Alec’s eyes trailed after him as Magnus moved swiftly to the bar.

  
“So how long have you guys known Magnus?” Alec asked once Magnus was out of earshot.

  
“I met him when he was a junior partner at _Fade, Blackthorn, and Fell_. You should have seen him then, all young and optimistic,” Matt said with a laugh.

  
“I met him at Judge Herondale’s potluck party a few years ago. He made the most amazing jambalaya.”

  
“Oh yes,” Eric said, “that jambalaya is fucking famous for how good it is.”

  
“Huh,” was all Alec said, “and when did you guys start playing basketball?”

  
“Well, Magnus has been hosting these things ever since… Gosh, forever. I can’t even remember when he started. I only started coming in the last few years, though. It' s nice to let loose and relax every once in awhile,” Tim said, “besides Lord knows I could use the workout. My cholesterol is off the charts.”

  
“Well maybe it wouldn’t be if you didn’t eat a donut a day,” Anderson shot back.

  
Tim flipped him off just as Magnus returned with a plate full of beer.  
Alec took a swig of his Oberon (how did Magnus know his favorite beer?) and turned back to the conversation.

  
“What were you boys talking about?” Magnus asked idly fiddling with the ear cuff he put back on after the game.

  
“The basketball games, Alec here seems to be curious about ‘em.”

  
“Jealous you weren’t invited before?”

  
Alec huffed, “maybe. Does this count as a standing invitation?”

  
“Absolutely not. I can’t have you ruining my winning streak,” Magnus said with a smirk and a wink.

  
“Always knew you were a sore loser,” Tim said nudging him gently with his elbow.

  
“And proud of it,” Magnus said with an easy smile.

  
Alec was struck by how different this Magnus was than the one he knew. He knew, of course, that he was different in the courtroom, but he had never considered how different. Alec had always appreciated people who were honest, and who could tell it like it is. Perhaps it was a result of growing up with two police officers as parents, but Alec believed that there is nothing more important than the truth, and nothing more honorable than the law. Maybe that has been his problem with Bane all along. He didn’t feel honest or authentic to Alec- there was always one more mask, one more lie, one more trick up his magical sleeves.

  
This Magnus felt more real to him. Without hiding behind cutting smirks and with no necessity for his tricky mind, Magnus seemed relaxed. Comfortable, even.

  
“So, Matt, I heard that your daughter just got accepted to Duke,” Magnus said distracting Alec from his train of thought.

  
“Yeah, me and Susan couldn’t be more proud… But still... I can’t believe that my little girl is all grown up. Time does fly...”

  
Magnus raised his beer bottle commiseratingly, and the others followed. After that, they settled for a night of quiet drinking and idle conversation. Alec doesn’t think that this would ever be his scene, especially when they broke out the law jokes, but he could appreciate the natural camaraderie.

  
“Alright,” Magnus said finishing his drink, “I gotta go.”

  
“Already?” Anderson said.

  
“Some of us have to work for a living, your honor,” Magnus said playfully, “ain’t no rest for the wicked.”

  
Alec got up too, “are you heading to the subway stop?”

  
“Yeah,” Magnus said with a nod.

  
“Cool, I’ll walk with you.”

  
Magnus nodded and put on his black, tight, leather jacket. Alec followed suit and tried not to stare at his biceps.

  
“Did you have fun?” Magnus asked after they walked out.

  
“Surprisingly, yeah,” Alec said rubbing the palm of his hand nervously. There was something oddly intimate about walking together late at night.

  
“I’m glad,” Magnus said with a soft smile.

  
Alec stared at him and couldn’t decide how he felt. On the one hand, he knows Magnus Bane. He knows that this is a man who will do anything to win and who has a strained relationship with the truth. But this is also a friendly, welcoming and kind man who Alec could easily see himself being friends with.

  
Alec scowled at the ground. He doesn’t like contradictions. The law is hard, after all, but it is the law.

  
Magnus, for his part, seemed to be equally distracted. His hand came up to his ear cuff which he fiddled with thoughtfully.

  
“You know… I had fun with you too,” Magnus said suddenly once they reached the station. They were both heading in opposite directions.

  
“I’m glad,” Alec said.

  
Magnus hesitated for a moment before reaching into his pocket for his wallet, he pulled out a card and said, “here’s my number. If you ever want to get a drink sometime, give me a call.”

  
Alec took the card numbly, staring at the stark black letters on the thick, high-quality white paper. He looked up at Magnus, his eyes wide with surprise.

  
“Um… Um… Wha-- Uh,” Alec stuttered, his mind completely blank.

  
For lack of verbal response, Alec decided to put his hand out to shake instead. Magnus looked at his hand with amusement and grasped it. The moment Magnus’s cool, dry hands firmly held his own Alec almost gasped. The feeling of their skin touching felt…. Alec could swear it felt like magic.

  
Alec opens his mouth to say something, to say _anything_ when Magnus suddenly pulls back with a loud curse ripping his hand out of Alec’s.

  
“Shit, that’s me,” Magnus said already running towards the train whose doors were beginning to close. Alec watched Magnus barely make it into his train car with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

  
His hand didn’t stop tingling the entire ride home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks, again, to @Lady_Matt who was so supremely helpful. 
> 
> Also! If you want to chat with me, come follow me on Tumblr at 
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/menckenschrestomethy
> 
> Also, to my fellow Americans who are as sad and downhearted as I am this week remember to keep hope alive. As President Barack Obama said in 2004, "we can not give into the politics of cynicism."


	4. Cause of Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec hangs out with Izzy,
> 
> Ragnor is back in town, 
> 
> and who is visiting Magnus late at night?

Alec was still yawning when he walked into the bullpen the next day. By the time he got home after the basketball game and ate dinner it was late enough for Alec to consider it “past his bedtime.”

Alec thinks this might be one of the reasons he’s single. 

“Good morning, Alec,” Lydia said as she flipped through a report sitting on her desk. Of anyone at the precinct, he had the most in common with Lydia. Like him, she was always one of the first ones in with a steaming cup of coffee and her spotless hair tied back into an immaculate braid. If he were straight, Alec often thought they could be soulmates.

“Morning,” Alec responded lifting his coffee cup slightly in greeting.

Jace grunted, but that was typical. Trying to get his partner to speak in coherent sentences in the morning took a miracle. Or, more accurately, it took red hair, a take no shit personality and a smile that could light up a room.

Two of those three things Alec lacked, genitalia notwithstanding.

“Have you seen Luke today?” Jace mumbled 

“No, I have not seen Captain Garroway yet,” Alec responded putting an emphasis on the title.

“God you are such a brownnoser,” Jace said unhappily.

“Shut up, Wayland. I bought your coffee this morning.”

“Only because I fed you after your hot date. You know, next time Bane should take you out to dinner. Not like the guy can’t afford it.”

Alec blushed a light pink, “it wasn’t a date.”

 “Yeah? Is that why you walked in with a huge smile on your face last night?” Jace said leaning over his desk with a mischievous smile. Lydia was turned towards their office now with interest.

 “It was an excellent game,” Alec insisted, “leave me alone, both of you.”

“Where’s Izzy?” Jace said, giving Alec a moment of mercy. 

“We were just assigned a new case,” Lydia cut in, “that thing about the prostitution rings? Rumor has it that Belcourt’s people are behind it. Izzy is downstairs getting a tox screen done on the blood at the crime scene.”

Alec nodded, “super. I didn’t get a chance to see her last night when I got home, and I left work earlier than she did. Glad she got here safe.”

Jace rolled his eyes, “she’s a trained detective, Alec. Don’t worry about her.”

“A trained detective with a reckless streak!” Alec replied, “besides I’m her big brother. I’m supposed to look out for her.”

“You know,” Izzy said as she walked up the stairs to their desks, “that is a lot less cute now than it was ten years ago.”

Alec just held his hands up in defeat, “sure. Whatever, Iz. Just glad you got here safe.”

“So… Can we get to work now? Or is this still feelings hour?” Jace said leaning back in his chair and observing his fingernails.

Alec sighed heavily and sat at his desk across from Jace; he was looking at the details of the case again trying to see if there is anything they had missed.

“Anything else from the lab?” Alec said instead of responding to Jace.

“Yeah, they found elements of sodium benzoate coating her body,” Jace said idly glancing at his notes.

“Interesting,” Izzy said from where she was still eavesdropping, “that is pretty unusual to find on a corpse.”

  
 “Um… For those of us who _weren’t_ chemistry majors in college?” Alec said.

“It’s a compound found in food preservatives… But it isn’t typically used to preserve human flesh. We use formaldehyde for that,” Izzy answered. Though she didn’t often act like it, she had one of the sharpest scientific minds Alec had ever seen.

“Thanks, Iz,” Alec said with a smile.

“Nice,” Lydia called from her desk, “now give me my partner back. I’ve got victim interviews to do, and I’m not doing them alone.”

“Yes, dear,” Izzy said while shooting Alec and Jace a wicked smile. With that, she grabbed her stuff from her desk and moved to follow Lydia out.

“So… The killer tried to pickle the body?” Alec asked looking mildly disgusted, grabbing the small bouncy ball on his desk to play with while he spoke.

Jace looked at the information the lab provided with a thoughtful frown, “I don’t think so… It’s used to preserve _food._ Why on earth would they use it on a person? It’s so much easier to use liming methods.”

“Maybe he’s got a fucked up sense of humor?” Alec said still looking at the case details.

“Why would a sense of humor play into this?”

“She, Francesca Morgenstern, was independently wealthy when she married Valentine. Actually, at the time she was much _more_ wealthy than him. Her family's wealth comes from… drum roll please, preserved foods… Ya know? Like “lean cuisine” and stuff.”

“Lean cuisine?” Jace said cocking his head. 

“Just trying to help,” Alec said raising his arms.

“Okay… So maybe a crime of passion was the wrong motive?” Jace said.

“Maybe, otherwise why would he have so much of that chemical on him?”

“I’m sure there aren’t many people buying shit like that,” Jace said thoughtfully, “I mean, outside of the food preservation business.”

“True, I bet individual buyers stand out on a list,” Alec replied.

“I’ll have the lab run some numbers,” Jace said.

“Yeah,” Alec said absentmindedly, “but why would Valentine- or anyone for that matter- have a motive for premeditated murder?”

“I have no idea,” Jace said, “all accounts say she was nice, if a bit stupid. She donated to charity, baked pies for school bake sales… Just your average ‘lady who lunches.’”

“I swear to God, Jace,” Alec said, “this case gets weirder every time I look at it.”

“I know,” Jace said with a sigh, “and don’t forget that the entire city is watching us. I hate this high profile shit.”

Alec couldn’t help but agree, having the weight of public approval on your shoulders makes doing a job like this much harder. Already the news stations are blowing it up; he can barely listen to the news without hearing more “dirty details” about the case.

“Alright,” Jace said, “I’m going to run down to the lab and let ‘em know to look for bulk buyers of that chemical.”  

“Yeah, cool,” Alec said, “I’m going to chat with the Captain. He asked to see me.”

“Fucking kiss-ass,” Jace muttered under his breath.

“Is that a rimming joke?”

“Ah,” Jace said flinging his hands up in surprised horror, “why dude? Why?”

“You deserve it, now go to the lab,” Alec said waving him away with a snicker. Jace was still cringing in faked horror.

Alec was still smirking at his victory as he got up to walk to the Captain’s office. Luke Garroway was a tall, handsome man with a husky voice and an impeccable record. Alec was confident he would follow the man anywhere, and his amazing ass was only half of the reason.

“Captain? You asked to see me?”

“Alec,” Luke said with a beaming grin that made Alec’s palms sweat, “glad you stopped by. Close the door?” 

Alec walked in and closed the door behind him with a sense of foreboding. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong lately, but he also hadn’t done anything so spectacularly good that it would warrant special praise.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Just wanted to remind you of the importance of the Morgenstern case,” Luke said gesturing for Alec to sit, “I’ve got a lot of pressure coming down on me from the higher ups. I put you and Jace on it because you’re some of my best. How is it looking?”

“We just got new information that Ms. Morgenstern was soaked in a preservative that is commonly found in frozen food, so we’re seeing if that angle helps us at all.”

“Good,” Luke said absently, “right… I can’t have this getting away from us. The reputation of our department rests on this…”

“Oh good, no pressure,” Alec said without thinking.

Luke smiled warmly, even if he looked exhausted, “I know how you feel, kid. When I was around your age, I got put on a massive serial killer case. Four vics, no leads and the entire nation watching my every move…”

“What did you do?” Alec asked eagerly.

“Cried myself to sleep for two nights, drank an entire bottle of whiskey every time a lead came up dry and broke up with my girlfriend,” Luke said evenly.

“Um… Sir? Was that supposed to be helpful?”

Luke shook his head, “no, not really. I’m just saying, I know how much this can suck. You’re not alone; you have the precinct, and you have me. We’re a team, son. Don’t forget that.”

“Thank you, sir,” Alec said feeling touched.

“Oh, I forgot to ask,” Luke said with a sly grin, “how was the game last night?”

Alec blushed and looked away from his captain, who was chuckling knowingly.

“You know,” Luke said casually, “I was planning on having Magnus over for dinner sometime next week. Would you and Jace like to join us? He can bring his girlfriend too, of course."

Alec paused enough to make Luke chuckle.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Luke said ignoring Alec’s stuttering.

“Um... Yes, sir. I… I… I.. I’m, I’ve gotta go. I’ll mention it to Jace,” Alec said trying very hard not to trip over his feet in front of his boss.

Alec shook his head, this case and this lawyer were all turning out to be more trouble than they were worth. Still, Alec couldn’t help but think of how _dazzled_ he felt last night by Magnus. He knew it was silly to even be thinking about this, to be going to a dinner for the sole purpose of seeing Magnus again… But he’s not sure he’s ever met a man like Magnus. He blushed remembering the feeling of the other man’s hand in his before the train came.

“Oh my god,” Alec murmured to himself suddenly remembering the phone number Magnus had left him.

 _This is crazy. This is crazy. THIS IS CRAZY._ Alec thought as he reached into his wallet to pull out the card Magnus gave him last night.

It’s one text, Alec reasoned to himself, and one text doesn’t have to mean anything. Friends send text messages.

After spending several minutes drafting a text he eventually decided on, _Hey, this is Alec Lightwood. The detective._

The second he sent it he started panicking because Magnus already knew his job. And they spent all day together. Of course, seconds later Magnus texted back ( _Hello Alexander- can’t talk now! In a meeting.)_ and Alec felt his heart rate returning to normal.

“Yo, dude,” Jace said jumping over the small gate that separated the office desks from the waiting area, “Lily Chen from the lab just double checked stuff for us. Most of them were big name companies, and LLCs so it’ll take some time. No private buyers as far as we can tell.”

“Damn it,” Alec said, shoving Magnus out of his mind for more important things, “ _damn it._ Okay, fine, maybe someone who worked for a company? Had access?”

“Yeah,” Jace said dryly, “I’m sure someone on the manufacturing floor suddenly decided to murder a random wealthy woman who isn’t even involved with running the company anymore.”

“We’ll look into the companies who have been buying that stuff later. By the way, who is running the company now?”

“Oh, after she stepped down they just gave it over to a board of trustees, none of them had a personal relationship with the victim.”

“Ugh,” Alec said glaring at the file with irritation.

Jace nodded, “I agree. Anyway, dude, at least I have _some_ good news. While I was down there, guess what Lily told me?”

“Mhm?”

“You know that B&E case, with the homicide?” Jace said excitedly.

“You mean the case we are currently working on that has no leads?”

“We found fingerprints, let’s go check it out,” Jace said grabbing the car keys.

“Sure, but only if I drive,” Alec said holding his hand out. Jace sighed and handed it over.

Alec felt like the rest of the day passed in a feverish blur, the case they had been working on was one that usually almost always ended in a cold case. B&Es were so common, and without fingerprints on record, most evidence isn’t enough to cast any hard suspicion on anyone. Alec hated that; he hated knowing that there were people out there who broke laws and walked free, it made him sick to his stomach.

Still, by the time they ended the day they had an arrest warrant. Some skeezy kid who was trying to pay for drugs with stolen electronics, only to panic when he realized the owner was home and shot him.

“Fuck,” Jace said, “I am exhausted.”

“Me too,” Alec said looking at the time, their shift was over, “you coming home?”

“Nah,” Jace said, “I’m heading over to Clary’s.”

“Why don’t you ever bring her around? You ashamed of us?” Alec asked playfully.

“Yes,” Jace said without hesitation, “but also, she lives by herself, so we don’t have to worry about keeping roommates up… All night.”

“Gross. Please keep your heterosexuality away from me,” Alec said with a feigned frown.

Jace rolled his eyes and pushed Alec, “see ya tomorrow.”

“See ya,” Alec said with a smile.

He was just packing up to go when Izzy and Lydia came back; their shift was also ending and soon the night crowd would be there.

“Izzy, great timing. I was just heading home,” Alec said.

She nodded tiredly, “super. I could use some takeout, a good rom-com and about thirty glasses of wine.”

“That good, huh?” Alec said sympathetically.

“Belcourt has a leash on these girls like you wouldn’t believe... We couldn’t get a single one of them to talk.”

Alec pulled her into a comforting side hug, “you’ll get her.”

Izzy gave Alec a baleful look, “doubtful. Camille Belcourt is a fucking snake.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, “come on. Let’s go home. I will gladly drink wine with you and watch rom-com. As long as it isn’t 27 Dresses. I fucking hate that movie.”

She laughed tiredly and let him lead her out of the room. There were times, especially times when there were guns, knives, and gangs when he hates that his entire family works in law enforcement. But there were other times, times like these when he was so glad that they worked together. He was thankful that he was able to take care of his sister when things went wrong, that he was always able to support his family.

As soon as they got home Izzy flopped down on the couch of their modest, but cozy apartment. It wasn’t anything huge, but it was theirs- filled with memories and stains of parties gone awry and cooking experiments gone worse. A few years ago he tried to live on his own, and he found that he _hated_ it. Coming home to an empty apartment, without the sounds of pots banging and people laughing was just not for him. He might be a quiet guy by nature, but he is a family man, something he’s long since accepted.

“I’ll order- what do you want?”

“Everything. I want it fried. I want to feel disgusting,” Izzy said as she still lay face down on the couch.

Alec laughed as he looked down at the takeaway menus, “pizza?”

“Yes, and I want cheese bread.”

“You got it,” Alec said with a soft smile. He went to order a pizza and open a ten dollar bottle of wine that they had stashed in the kitchen. He swiftly poured two glasses and turned on the TV to their Netflix.

“So, talk,” Alec said.

“I told you…”

“Oh please,” Alec said rolling his eyes, “a bad day at the office doesn’t cause this. What’s up?”

Izzy bit her lip nervously, and Alec shifted to place a hand on hers.

“Are you okay, Izzy?”

She sighed, “I got a call earlier today… Over lunch.”

“And?”

“Some people at the FBI saw my record, and my IQ test and offered me a job,” Izzy said quickly like she was trying to get it all out, “and I meant to say no immediately! Because we’re a police family, not the fucking feds. But… I don’t know, Alec. This could be a huge opportunity for me.”

Alec froze, but he forced himself to relax, “Izzy, that is great. You’re amazing at your job, and honestly, maybe your talents are being wasted. You’re four times as smart as any detective on the force, and ten times as dedicated.”

“I know, but Alec… The Feds? Really? And what about being captain someday? I’ve dreamed about that since I was a little girl. I’ve thought about that more than I’ve thought about my _wedding._ ”

“When do they need a decision?” Alec said pulling her closer, so they were cuddling on the couch. _10 Things I Hate About You_ played quietly in the background.

“Next week… Jesus, Alec… What am I going to do?” Izzy sank next to him, and for the first time in years, Alec remembered that she is nearly a foot shorter than him. She’s so larger than life, with her whip-smart tongue that it’s easy to forget how tiny she is.

“Okay, you have time, and we can figure it out together. You’re not alone, Izzy, and I will one hundred percent support you no matter what you decide.”

“Even if I become a Fed and end up poaching one of your cases?” Izzy said aiming for light-hearted, but Alec could see the genuine fear underneath.

“Even then. You’re my sister, Iz. I love you,” Alec said pressing another soft kiss to the top of her head.

“That goes for you too,” Izzy said clearly trying to divert attention, “even if you end up dating a criminal defense attorney.”

“Hey!” Alec said blushing, “whatever.”

“Whatever?” Izzy said sitting up and twisting, so they were facing each other, “is there potential?”

“Izzy…” Alec said, about to call her on her attempt to change the subject. But he looked at her pleading eyes and relented, if she didn’t want to talk about this anymore then they wouldn’t.

“Well? Are you going to see him again?”

“I don’t know… I mean, Luke invited me, Jace and Clary to dinner next week and he’ll be there… But he also gave me his number and told me to call.”

“Oh my god, seriously? You should call him! Call him right now! You should meet up before the dinner,” Izzy said excitedly.

“I don’t know… I mean after Sebastian….”

“Okay, sure, he was a jerk who testified against you and used frankly _unnecessary_ amounts of gory imagery in his testimony… But that was weeks ago. Just because the court decision just ruled for Rutherford doesn’t mean jack. I know he hurt you, but it isn’t like you were in love with him, you barely liked him.”

“I know... But, Jesus, I don’t know Izzy… This whole thing feels like a mistake.”

“Maybe, but do you like him?”

Alec blushed, but he nodded, “he’s… I don’t know, Iz, he’s dazzling.”

“Dazzling, huh?” Izzy said, her teasing smile softened, “give it a shot, big brother. What’s the harm?”

Alec glared at her, but he pulled out his phone and pressed the call button anyway. His heart is beating out of his chest.

 

 

When Magnus walked into his office at eight am the day after the game he was surprised to see that it was already occupied. His old friend and colleague Ragnor Fell were standing by his bookcase looking through the titles with interest. He was wearing a long, complicated coat that looked like it belonged in another century. That, coupled with his graying hair which was placed in an intricate style that vaguely resembled two horns, gave him the appearance of not being entirely human.

“You know,” Ragnor began, “I’ve always found your bookshelf an alarming and awe-inspiring place.”

“Oh?” Magnus said.

“Certainly,” Ragnor said, “Antonin Scalia should not be placed next to Lovecraft. It messes with the universe’s balance.”

“I don’t know,” Magnus responded, “both are equally fantastical. And equally horrifying.”

Ragnor laughed and pushed the book he was glancing through back into the case.

“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m here?”

“I assumed it was for inspiration. Aren’t you still trying to write the next great American novel?”

Ragnor sniffed indignantly, “yes.”

“You do realize you have to be _American_ to write the next great American novel, right?”

Ragnor glared at Magnus, “I think my input--”

“Ah yes, the views of a well-educated British man, where on earth would we get such a unique perspective otherwise?”

“I didn’t come here to be mocked.”

“Oh? Then why did you come here?”

“I’ve heard rumblings,” he said musingly, “rumblings that mean you are trying to throw me out of my law firm.”

Magnus clenched his jaw. It was too early for this. His assistant hadn’t even brought him his coffee yet, and he and Raphael were still working on how exactly they should bring up the fact that Ragnor was not pulling his weight.

Instead of answering the question directly, he sidestepped it. 

“When was the last time you were at the office, Ragnor?”

Ragnor narrowed his eyes, “oh goodness. It must be half a year ago, now. Is that right?”

Magnus said nothing, just nodded and moved to place his jacket and bag down on his desk.

“All we’re saying, Ragnor,” Magnus said eventually in a plaintive voice, “is that it is unfair to us and it is unfair to the other partners to keep splitting profits. Now, if you’re willing to come back and work…”

“Bah!” Ragnor said, “ignorant, arrogant clients who think nothing of my creative genius!”

Magnus rolled his eyes and gently rubbed his forehead, “what would you like us to do, Ragnor?”

“You do realize that if it is just you and Raphael everything will go to hell in a handbasket, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” Magnus snapped, “if you would just do your fucking _job_ then--”

“Watch your tone,” Ragnor said icily. Suddenly Magnus remembered why the other man was one of the most formidable lawyers he had ever seen. “I have given decades of my life to practicing law. I barely saw my children when they were young. I barely saw my spouse while she was alive. I am _done_ doing this job.”

Here Ragnor paused to take a shuddering breath before finishing, “this place will take everything you have if you let it.”

“Ragnor… I…”

Ragnor shook his head as if to unblock it. Then, apropos to nothing, he laughed.

“I don’t even know why we’re arguing, my friend,” he said still chuckling. “You do have a way of winding me up. The real reason I came here today was to tell you that I am taking a job at Harvard’s law school as a tort professor…”

“You’re… you’re taking a new job?”

“Yes, I think I was meant to be a professor. It’s time for me to engage the young minds of tomorrow.”

“But... “

Magnus stood there with his mouth hanging open. He knew it was silly and childish, but for all their talk about not having Ragnor in the firm anymore, Magnus never believed it would happen. The older man had been a constant in his life since he graduated from law school ten years ago. Foolishly, he wants to beg Ragnor to stay. He always provided balance, levity, and humor to a job that could be draining and exhausting.

Some of Magnus’s emotions must have shown on his face because Ragnor softened.

“You and Raphael have exceeded my wildest expectations. When I first took you on... When I first formed a firm with you two… People were skeptical. They laughed at me, but even when you were young I knew that you had a capacity, unlike any others I’ve seen. Hungry, talented and yet still somehow you two are real people,” Ragnor said placing a warm hand on Magnus’s shoulder.

“Ragnor… We need…”

“You need a third person. That person doesn’t need to be me anymore. I knew I made the right choice with you two. I knew it the second you forced us to increase our pro bono percentage. You should have seen yourself then,” Ragnor laughed, “I thought your eyes would burn me alive. You two will be okay without me.”

“I’ll… I’ll miss you,” Magnus said.

He was surprised and embarrassed to find that his eyes were brimming with tears. In many ways, Ragnor was as close as he had to an older brother or a mentor. The only person in his life that had ever believed in him, that had ever taken a chance on him. And now, here was Ragnor again, taking another huge chance on him. He was leaving his New York legacy in Raphael and Magnus’s young hands.

Ragnor didn’t comment on his wet eyes, but he did pull Magnus in for a tight hug.

“I am proud of you, Magnus,” he said. Magnus felt his breath hitch. He can count on his hands the number of people who have said that to him.

They stood there staring at each other for a moment before Ragnor moved to leave, “I must be going. I spoke with Raphael yesterday, so he’s aware.”

Magnus chuckled, “how’d he take it?”

“Not well,” Ragnor said, “you know, for a kid trying to kick me out of this firm he was rather heartbroken actually to see me go.”

“He showed a human emotion?” Magnus said with a watery chuckle, “I’ll have to make sure he never lives that down.”

“Yes, well… Be sure to come and visit me in Cambridge. Lord knows even _I_ will get bored with that level of pretension after a while.” 

“Are you sure you have to go now? Why don’t you relax? Have a drink?” Magnus said trying to push his emotions down.

“It’s eight in the morning,” Ragnor said dryly.

“It’s happy hour somewhere, my dear,” Magnus said with a wink.

Ragnor shook his head fondly, “I’m sorry, old friend. My son is waiting for me downstairs to take me to the train station.”

Magnus nodded in understanding, his heart still feeling oddly full of the knowledge that they will be removing the name “Fell” from their letterhead. He felt an even sharper pang as he glanced out of the glass doors of his office and saw the cast iron sign that read _Bane, Santiago, and Fell._

Magnus shook his head and chuckled, “I suppose this is the end of an era, my dearest Cabbage.”

“I guess so. But do not worry, I will always be there for you,” Ragnor said placing a soft hand on Magnus’s cheek.

“I’ll come up and visit you soon, and please call me when you get there.”

Ragnor smiled and nodded, “I don’t regret one moment of choosing you, Magnus Bane. Never forget that.”

Magnus nodded and walked Ragnor to the elevator. Just as the doors opened, Magnus pulled him in for one last tight hug.“You changed my life, Ragnor. I’ll never forget that.”

Ragnor hugged back and replied, “you changed mine too… I’ll see you soon, my friend.” 

He stood there and watched the doors close behind his oldest friend.

“Magnus?” Maureen called out interrupting his thoughts, “I have your coffee and your schedule. Would you like me to go over it with you?”

Magnus straightened his back and cleared his head. It was time to get back to work. Still, he couldn’t help but let his mind linger on the reality of his situation. It was just Raphael and him now, just the two of them against much higher odds than they had ever faced before.

“Yes, Maureen, I would love that,” Magnus said turning sharply to face her.

“Wonderful,” she said shaking her curly brown hair, “you have an appointment with a potential client in an hour. Sandra from billing sent up the most recent count of the billable hours, so you’ll have to go over those… And you’re also working on the Montoya and Yukimura case alongside Morgenstern.”

“Sounds like today will be busy,” Magnus said dryly, “anything else?”

“Well… Ms. Belcourt called. Apparently, something has come up. However, there was no time in your schedule today, and she said it was urgent, so I transferred her call to Simon and had him schedule her with Raphael.

Magnus nodded his head in understanding. It was for the best anyway, he and Camille had a complicated history. When he first signed her as a client five years ago, he knew what everyone knew about her. She was fairly well known (for those who were in the know) as one of the most powerful and blood-soaked crime lords in the city.

Of course, Magnus always had a weakness for things that were bad for him. He fell in love with her faster than he had intended. He had loved the way she curled her cruel lips around her words and the way she could cleverly twist the truth. He especially loved the way she was able to bring New York City to its knees. Not through brute force (though she had that too) but through her keen and vicious mind.

Admittedly keeping her on the books was a risky proposition, but Magnus was very careful with her account. He only managed her “legitimate” businesses, like the antique stores she is so fond of.

“What time will she be here?”

“Before your briefing for the Montoya case. Meliorn has put together a document for you to review before that.”

Magnus nodded, “fantastic. Also, let Meliorn know he’s going to be my second chair on the Morgenstern case.”

She nodded, “anything else?”

“No that will be all for now, Thank you, Maureen.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Magnus gave her a look, “Maureen…”

“Certainly, Magnus.”

She nodded and left, and Magnus was left alone in the front hallway. He sighed and listened to the bustling sounds of his office, of his little empire. Magnus spared a thought for the young boy he had been, so angry all the time, so desperate to prove himself. He’d done it. He’d clawed his way out. He’d bled for this, and nothing was ever going to take it away from him.

The rest of the day was lost to meetings and litigation. Admittedly, Raphael was known as the “King of Litigation” in the city, just as Magnus was known for his criminal defense. He is not entirely sure how the Yukimura account became his problem, but he would deal with it now.

He was going over the details of the Montoya case, and the deposition had gone well for them and now they would take it to the judge. If the opposition didn’t offer them a sizable settlement, they would be fools.

He was just walking out to go to the conference room on a lower floor when Camille exited the elevator.

“Magnus,” she said with a smirk, “it has been too long.”

He pressed a kiss on either side of her perfect face. Her lips were stained a blood red, and her dress was equally shocking- she looked like a woman who could kill you and laugh about it.

“Camille, it is nice to see you. Are you going to your meeting with Raphael?”

“Yes, I am,” she said with irritation, “though I would much rather be meeting with you. I’ve always enjoyed our repartee.”

Magnus hid his disgust and placed a coy smile on his face, “as have I. I am very sorry, my dear. I have a meeting to rush off to, and I trust you know the way.”

“I do… But that delightful little assistant of Raphael’s offered to walk me to his office. He sounds like such a sweet, _succulent_ little thing…”

Magnus rolled his eyes, “leave the poor boy alone.”

Just as he said, this Simon came stumbling in with a huge, guileless smile on his face. Magnus felt a twinge of worry if Camille set her sights on him who knows what would be left of the poor boy when she was done? He resolved to speak to her about this when he had more time.

“Samuel,” Magnus said nodding his head in Simon’s direction.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got here, Ms. Belcourt! I mean, I intended to be, and I totally was on my way, and I was like _right here._ But then! Raphael called and said he needed a copy of this contract that he’s working on and I was like, “I can totally do this before she comes.” So I went to do it! But it turns out that it was two floors down, where the paralegals work. And did you know that paralegals are terrifying? I was so scared because they were all like--”

“Simon,” Magnus said cutting him off, “please take our client to her appointment now.”

“Right, right… Of course, Mr. Bane!”

“I’ll be seeing you, darling,” Camille said, pulling him down to force a kiss on his lips. He pushed her away sharply and glared at her. Her eyes glittered with amusement as she turned around to follow Simon.  

He saw Camille smirking after the boy, her eyes trailing down the slim cut of his designer suit. When Simon began working here everything he owned was from The Gap, it took exactly two weeks for Raphael to crack and take his little secretary shopping. Magnus could admit that Simon was easy on the eyes, and a firm figure showcased in Valentino was a particular weakness of hers.

Suddenly, Magnus is transported back to when he and Camille dated. He remembered laying his head on her lap as she discussed business. She would drag her long fingers through his hair and smile charmingly at him. He had been so smitten.

“Oh darling,” she would say pressing a warm kiss on his lips while he drank a cocktail by her side, “you are my prettiest accessory tonight.” And he would laugh, a little starry- eyed that a woman like her, with all her danger and mystique, found him worthy of being hers.

He remembers the sex too, the burning heat of her bold lips on his. Remembers how she’d moved against him, never _with_ him. Sometimes he thought that the only times she had ever been honest with him was when they’d lain in bed together. Even now, he couldn’t help but remember how her touch had inexplicably turned tender for a moment. The way her caress had gone from appraising to worshipful, but only for a second.

He wishes he could forget how she’d talked to him about books and movies and politics. Her startled bright laugh when he had managed to slip a joke past her defenses. In truth, it was the moments when she was human that had made it hard for him to walk away from her.

He wonders if those moments had been calculated too.

When they’d broken up, Raphael had sighed softly, while pouring them both a shot and said: “you two have everything in common except for the important things.”

He had been right of course.

He sighed and looked at his watch; he was running slightly late for his meeting with the junior partners. Perhaps Ragnor coming back to visit him had made him nostalgic, but there is no time to get lost in the past now. Especially a past like his. With that, he turned on his heel and decided to take the stairs two flights down to the second floor of their firm when his phone vibrated.

( _203) 548-9085: Hey, this is Alec Lightwood. The detective._

Huh, Magnus thought. In all honesty, he hadn’t been expecting the other man to reach out so soon, or at all. Still, he spared a minute to save the contact in his phone, and shoot back a quick reply ( _Hello Alexander- can’t talk now! In a meeting. )_ before continuing on his way downstairs. The detective was not what Magnus expected. Admittedly, not Magnus’s usual type of glamorous and sly- no the other man was gorgeous and straightforward. Still, Magnus couldn’t help but feel that Alexander Lightwood might have the chance to be something special. Maybe Alec had something that the others didn’t.

By the time he got downstairs, the junior partners were already discussing the best approach for the case. He lets them talk, even after he walks in because he knows this is essential to learning. They’ll never get better if he’s constantly holding their hand, besides they might come up with ideas he didn’t have.

When the finally wrapped up one of his junior partners had found a note in the fifth footnote on the seventy-fifth page of the contract which provided the exact loophole they had needed.  

“Very nice, you guys,” Magnus said smiling down at the contract, “this looks great.”

“Thank you, Mr. Bane.

“Now get out of here, I’m heading out for the day,” Magnus said glancing at his watch. It was now eight o’clock.

They chuckled and packed up, chatting amiably about their days. Magnus knew it was a facade. The legal world was cut throat. Magnus can’t count the number of backs he stepped on to get where he is now.

He walked down to the basement where his car was. He abandoned it at the office last night, due to the basketball game, but he does prefer to drive home when he can. He can blast his music and have some time to unwind from the day.

Traffic was bad, but that wasn’t unusual. Magnus had long since gotten used to that, so he played his audiobook and relaxed for the half hour it took for him to get home and park. He walked into his large, sprawling apartment which was decorated similarly to his office. The furniture was warm and plush, which contrasted sharply with the modern art he had hanging on the walls. He flung his keys into the bowl placed by the door.

Magnus rubbed his eyes as he took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie while also walking towards the kitchen. It was a clean kitchen and a spotless, very clean house, but that was not born from his innate organization. He didn’t spend time here. Even he had to admit that his apartment was more like a hotel, somewhere to spend the night before he got back to work. 

“Nothing,” Magnus murmured to himself as he stared at the empty fridge, he had to go grocery shopping, but it felt like he never had the time. He thinks he understands what Ragnor meant when he said this job would take everything if he let it.

He was going to have to order in, Magnus thought resignedly, as he picked up a Chinese food menu that he kept in his drawer. He had just finished placing his order when he heard a knock on the door.

Magnus cocked his head to the side, who on earth could that be? He was still contemplating who could be at his door when he went to answer it.

“Carmela!” Magnus said with surprise, “what are you doing here?”

She was stunning, deep brown eyes and a perfect heart shaped face with pink lips. She was wearing a trench coat, some stockings, and hot looking stilettos.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes, of course, darling,” Magnus said moving to the side to let her in and putting his still vibrating phone back in his pocket, “I just ordered some Chinese food from down the street. I thought you were still in Milan for that fashion show.”

Just then his phone began to ring. He moved his hand to answer it, but Carmela beat him to it, sliding her hand into his she grasped his phone and ended the call before he had a chance to see who it was.

“That might have been work,” Magnus said mildly.

She nodded, “yes, but I’m sure if it is important they’ll call back.

Magnus couldn’t fault that logic, so he didn’t respond.

She nodded, “I got back early. When will the food be here?”

“Half an hour?”

“Wonderful,” she said with a lovely smile, “plenty of time.”

 With that, she removed her trench coat to reveal that she was only wearing a garter belt which was connected to black thigh-high stockings. Nothing else.  Magnus didn’t think about the missed call again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it *cackling* 
> 
> Anyway, thanks again to my amazing beta reader, @LadyMatt
> 
> If you have any opinions on this chapter please comment or feel free to yell at me at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/menckenschrestomethy


End file.
